EVALUATION OF POTATO COOKING QUALITY IN ARGENTINA

Cooking quality of mature tubers was assessed for ten Argentine potato cultivars, two cultivars of foreign origin and three advanced clones. Specific gravity, dry matter and starch content, as well as quality of boiled potatoes and chips were determined. Pampeana INTA had the highest dry matter content with 21.8 percent and would appear to be a very good cultivar for dehydrated products. The lowest dry matter values were obtained for three of the four most widely planted cultivars: Spunta, Bonaerense La Ballenera and Kennebec. Kennebec demonstrated its good quality for chipping with a score of 6.9 points. Primicia INTA and Surena INTA with high dry matter content and good features for chipping can also be used to produce chips. Breeding under high temperatures during tuberization has proven to be a successful strategy in developing cultivars that are superior in dry matter contents to the cultivars currently imported from the northern hemisphere.